Cold Open
by Convergence-Eternal
Summary: Forty years after the Reaper war, Batarian soldiers make first contact with an unknown entity. - This story contains bad writing, Plenty of Out of Character Moments, and too many Original characters.
1. Atrophy

**AN:** Hey, this is my third attempt at writing a Mass Effect / Sailor Moon cross over. I've received some solid advice from TheElephantInThePrideParade and Nobody Smurf. So, I'll try to do better. Sorry, any ways, enjoy.

* * *

"To think that just 40 years ago this was the jewel of your people"

"It still is the Jewel of my people. It might be a shadow of its former glory. But compared to everywhere else . . ."

"Hey, my people raised ourselves out of the Ashes. Twice. I'm sure your people will be able to do the same."

Sunlight fed in through the windows. Irissa was lucky. She could afford a high-rise department. You could say that being a matriarch had its advantages

"The Krogan had outside help"

"Who says your people will have to do it alone?"

Irissa crossed her arms.

"What are your conditions?"

"Piares is mostly uninhabited."

"It is", Irissa pursed her lips, "and it will stay that way. I won't let your kind settle Asari space."

Wrex, The King of Tuchanka, chuckled.

"Had a feeling you would say that. Maybe this next council meeting will change your mind. My people have a saying, and you're about to learn the meaning of it."

Krogan were, at the best of times, rather hard to read. Even an Asari like Irissa couldn't always worm out all their intentions. Right now the Krogan looked bemused. Of course there was more to him then that. Something made his eyes dance. Could it be fear?

"Will that be all Urdnot Wrex?", she asked.

"Sure"

Wrex turned to leave. On the way out he stared at several spots of "empty" space. Some one must had tipped him off about their presence. More leaks. She couldn't even count on Commandos any more.

And now the sun was setting. Through her window Irissa could see her fellow Asari rising up from the Ashes. Recovery had been slow. Many claimed the post war population boom had been a victory. Several more victories like that and her race would be undone. Their current industrial capacity was pathetic. And since the number of mouths to feed outstripped their ability to feed them most Asari were barely getting by. A few of her fellow matriarchs had become dancers or mercenaries. Irissa knew that for her people to regain their pride, for them to reclaim their rightful place in council space, something had to change.

Something had to change.

-0-

Mercury, Sol System

July 16, 3927

"Lady Mercury, there's a message. They marked it as Urgent"

"Did they?"

Mercury looked up from her experiment.

"It's From Earth. ", explained her assistant.

Lady Mercury deactivated her goggles. She glanced at the Electrocardiograph to her left.

" So it is"

There was an eclectic hiss. The thing that Mercury was toying with spasmed violently and it screamed. Mercury paid it no mind. Her thoughts lay elsewhere.

"Lady Mercury!"

Mercury blinked. Her specimen was dead.

"I should have used more anesthetic", concluded the guardian of Wisdom.

"Or you could slow down its metabolism. "

Mercury nodded in agreement. Then, her blue eyes settled upon her unfortunate creation. The thing was the size of a beach ball. It had three mammalian eyes, and most of it was covered in what looked like skin.

"You can put the crystal on my desk. I'll view it in the morning. First, I need to take care of a few things"

"Lady Mercury, it is the morning"

Mercury's body dipped forwards. She caught herself on the table. Her lips twisted into something that resembled a sickly grin. For she had been awake for 11 days. It's a good thing that she was not quite human. Otherwise, she'd be dead.

Her Body was struggling. Her mind was more or less intact. Psychosis and Mania were slipping in. Such things were a minor inconvenience. It was a price Mercury was willing to pay. In the service of

"Queen Serenity"

The message her assistant mentioned must be from the Queen. It must be. And, if she was contacting her now, then it probably had something to do with the anomaly.

"Lady Mercury?"

"Yes Nashwa"

"Are you all right?"

"Of course. Of course"

"You look a little exhausted"

"You- are right. I'll get some rest."

Mercury got up, and left her laboratory. Her mind was racing. Possibilities flittered in and out. Each of her visions was more gruesome then the last. Which is why her chambers brought her no comfort. She could not sleep. So, she instead rummaged around for a small device.

Mercury located the device. She punched the linking sequence that would send her to earth. She would talk to the Queen. Come what may.

-0-

"Thanks to the statements made by Primarch Vakarian, and commander Shepard, we were able to trace the hostile entity back to the crash site. ", explained Admiral Bray.

He pulled up a pic capture of bodies, or to be more specific, pieces of them. He showed them arms, spines, and jellied organs. Then he showed them shaky image of what they assumed must be corridor. There was something moving in the picture. The thing was clad in dark armor. Its limbs were long and its visor reflected no light.

"We've handed the entity over to STG", continued the Batarian commander, "and a petition has been circulating. It's from the families that lost loved ones to that thing. These families want us to carry out autopsies. They want to find out what happened"

Bray pulled up something else. A vid.

"I wish that we could tell them the truth"

The vid that Bray showed the council came from a firefight. Batarian soldiers were on one side of the fight, and then there was the slender being. Its true height became evident the moment it moved. Its head nearly scrapped the low celling. Black fluid poured from its chest. The entity charged. Batarians unleashed everything they had into it. The contest was short. It ended quietly. When this armored thing picked up the final soldier by their neck.

There was soft, wet, hacking noise. Followed by one last hazy image of the entity peering down at the deceased soldier. Its head tilted. Its body coated in blood.

The Vid cut out. Many of the councilors took a moment to compose them selves.

After a considerable period of cutting silence, the Ponderous Elcor councilor spoke, " Remorseful statement. I am sorry that your people had such an encounter".

"Your condolences are -"

"So", cut in Irissa, "another first contact scenario ended in blood shed"

Bray didn't respond immediately. All four of his eyes went wide.

Irrisa continued, "Please, explain to me how this entity encountered only military targets during its escape. I understand that the ship crashed into a military site. But, I can't help but wonder why you only sent in security teams to deal with it."

"Its standard protocol-"

"And what about our laws, Admiral Bray. You encounter an unknown species, and greet it with guns. What did you think was going to happen?"

"We had to contain the situation"

"And did you? Or were you bailed out by an aging Spectre and her distinguished partner"

The General Seethed. He looked towards the Human Councilor for support.

"I think that the General acted in an appropriate manner"

Irissa glanced at the moronic Human Councilor, Charles Saracino.

"That entity we've gunned down came from a ship. And that ship must have come from somewhere. There is a race out there capable of space travel. Maybe it's a small race. Maybe this mission was their first attempt at exploring the stars. And perhaps our first encounter with them will go down in our history books as a mere skirmish. But, what if we've just awoken a giant? And the rounds exchanged at that facility were the first shots of a galaxy spanning war"

"Grrrr, she speaks nonsense", argued the Vorcha Counselor Gretch, "We support the Human Councilor. Bray made the right decision. Together, we smash the monsters. Like we smashed reapers. Alone we are weak. Together, we are strong!"

The Turian councilor, and the Salarian councilor exchanged looks.

"Gretch has a point", supplied the Turian Councilor, "we have to stand together. "

"Yes, Unity is important", added the Salarian Councilor, "and once STG finishes its analysis of the entity we'll have a much better idea of what we are dealing with here. When that happens accurate and well informed decisions will be feasible"

Irissa turned towards her Salarian counterpart.

In her head she was already plotting out potential evacuation procedures. Thinking about which Matriarchs she could contact. How she could minimize the damage. Save more Asari this time around. Ensure that it wouldn't take four decades to rebuild.

"Of course"

Of course the Batarians would shoot first and ask Questions never. Of course the Turians and the Humans would support them. Fools, all of them. She couldn't rely on them. She couldn't trust them.

She couldn't trust any one.


	2. Human After All

**AN:** Howdy! I wrote another horrible chapter. Here ya go!

* * *

Earth, Sol System

July 16, 3927

Crystal Tokyo was full of contradictions. Its historical crystal spires clashed horribly with the 50-meter tall anti air cannons. The cities not quite immortal residents drew a sharp contrast to the dead eyed, barely pubescent, Martian security patrols.

There was love in Crystal Tokyo, and there was the hanging specter of War. On tv (for many of them still had televisions), in movie theaters, and behind closed doors the twin forces danced.

Another allied power requests aid. Did you hear about Yoko's new boyfriend? Mercurian forces sustain heavy casualties reinforcing the Edge. Shige and Shin are getting Married? An Auxilary Ship accidentally invaded another dimension. Do you think that I have a shot with Yamada? Will the world end before I can get a boy to like me?

Chatter faded in and out. Mercury didn't mind. She was just glad that here, in Crystal Tokyo, no one batted an eye at her presence. The Denizens of crystal Tokyo were used to Senshi. Here, she could walk among the people.

Back at the Edge, her kind were thought to be something beyond. For lack of a better term, Demi gods or Agents of Queen Serenities Divine Wrath.

Well this Agent of Divine Wrath had some trouble reaching the Crystal Palace. Pushing through the throngs of denizens, pilgrims, and soldiers swallowed up the better part of her day.

She reached the gates as the Sun gave up its last few parting rays. Mercury's eye lids were heavy. Night was fast approaching. She had to see the Queen. Before her inhuman endurance reached its breaking point.

And, just as the gates opened wide, Ami forgot about her pain. She forgot about her creations. For one passing moment she let go of the whirling doubt hiding behind her eyes.

Because a Pink haired Teenager was running towards her at break neck speed while yelling, "Mercury!"

The Blue Haired, blue eyed Senshi felt her bones shake when Chibi-Usa collided into her. And Mercury's ribs creaked when the heir to the Silver Millennium trapped her with a big big bear hug.

Chibi-Usa was, at this very moment, wearing the Ceramic composite armor that Mercury had crafted for her last summer. It wasn't particularly jagged. But it was quite unyielding. And if this bear hug continued then Mercury could not say with absolute certainty, which would shatter first. The Armor she'd crafted or her own high-density bones.

"Chibi-Usa, you've become so strong- ach, and you're not even transformed"

Chibi-usa let go of Mercury.

"Yeah, Hotaru and I have been training in Civilian form with our armor on. So that we can hone our reaction times"

"Well, that sounds like a valid training method. Have you kept up with your magical training?"

Chibi-Usa suddenly grabbed Mercury by the arm.

"Lets get you inside right now. I think that I can feel a thunderstorm coming"

"Okay", responded Mercury as her body was accelerated past the threshold.

Chibi-Usa let go of her after they were well within the Crystal palace. When she let go of Mercury the hardened soldier came to a spinning stop. Mercury, already a little blue from having the air squeezed out of her earlier, became a little green. And then she started to dry heave.

-0-

Saracino was a wise man. Sure he'd made some mistakes. But that was part of the learning process. And, as a politician, he was a life long learner. Every discussion brought new ideas. New viewpoints, and ideals greeted him every time he danced on the debate floor.

Today Saracino was left his office doubting everything. He doubted his own sanity, his experience, and even his ability to lead.

Because today he found out that, according Doctor Miranda Lawson and STG, the entity that Commander Shepard gunned down at the Batarian compound was Human.

He didn't want to accept that. His mind rebelled against this new truth. And for just a fleeting moment Saracino felt that he could perhaps empathize with the old Councils actions or lack there of.

However, on some level he knew that he must do something. But down this way led madness. For the thing they killed, the thing that the Batarians killed, was human.

Saracino didn't want to think about the implications. Or contemplate where this truth would leave them. What he really wanted was peace. He wanted a return to the status quo or perhaps just a temporary reprieve from the storm that awaited him.

Deep down, Saracino knew that wasn't possible. He was out of luck. And as memories of the reaper war spiraled through his mind, he was caught up on one question.

Were they all out of time?

-0-

Earth, Sol System

July 17, 3927

It was two minutes past midnight. And Mercury, who had traveled all this way, finally collapsed after greeting her Queen. She hit the floor with a dull thud. The fall, and her lack of any energy to speak of, dispelled her transformation.

Mercury the Guardian became Mizuno Ami, the Human.

"Ami?"

Ami was wearing a black dress. The dress she wore to her mother's funeral. Her mother had been a doctor. Her mother, inspired her to become a doctor as well. Long ago, Ami's ingenuity combined with the Queens magic had purged earth of all its parasites, viruses, and harmful bacteria. Ami knew that such an action would have consequences. She didn't care.

Her eyes fluttered open, for but a moment, and she saw her Queen. The Queen was trying to pick her up. Ami wanted to help. She wanted to stand. She couldn't. She was drained. Spent.

"Here"

Ami heard the Queen say that. But she couldn't open her eyes. Her eyelids were too heavy.

Light. When Ami opened finally opened up her eyes there was light pouring in. She wasn't on the floor. She was in a bed, a very large bed; it must have been the Queens.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Just rest. You've been working so hard. You really should get some sleep"

Ami forced herself up. She could rest when she was dead.

"You sent me a message. It was marked urgent"

"Yeah, about that-", Neo Queen Serenity turned towards Ami. Her expression was pained. There were dark spots underneath her blue eyes. And her silver hair, that looked like it was spun from rays of pure moonlight, seemed a bit less radiant tonight, "I had a nightmare."

Ami nodded.

Her Queen Continued, "In it there was a war. Bigger then any one we'd ever seen. It was horrible"

The Queen curled herself up into something like a fetal position. So that her head was almost touching her knee's, and she continued "Rei was in the dream, and Makoto, and Mina, and Michuru, and Haruka, and Pluto, and Hotaru, and Chibi-Usa"

The Queens voice started to quiver "there were fires and I wanted to save every one. But I couldn't"

"It was just a dream", replied Ami.

The Queen looked at her. Ami could see the tears rolling down her face.

"You", the Queen croaked as she turned away from Ami, "were in it too."

"We've fought enemies before. And I am not afraid of dying, again. It'll be all right"

"You were covered in blood. Only, it wasn't your blood. There was a knife in your hand. And you were smiling"

Neo Queen Serenity broke down. She cried and she cried. Ami held her. She put two arms around her- her friend.

"That's not going to happen. I won't let it happen"

The Queen kept on crying. So, Ami told her one more lie, "Everything is going to be Okay. I promise"


	3. Ami Eats a Burger!

**AN:** This chapter was all over the place. I won't make any excuses. I will upload the fourth, and final chapter next month. Sorry for the inconvenience.

* * *

Mercury, Sol System

July 18th, 3927

Crystal Tokyo was a city. Within that city dwelt the rightful ruler of earth. And, the guardians of every single planet in the Sol system were loyal to this rightful ruler. However, at the close of the 21st centaury there had been opposition to this Queens rule. There were those who preferred another path. This disparate group fled into the stars.

At the dawn of the 36th centaury, Mercury found them. Or rather, she found what was left of them.

This off shoot of humanity had sacrificed the very things that made them human. They put children on the battlefield. And they turned Orphans into cybernetic monstrosities.

Some how, by giving up everything, this minute faction had held off two ancient alien empires. This fragment had done the impossible over and over again. And after careful consideration of their battle-tested capabilities Ami had a realization.

She pitied them.

"Lady M-", started some one. Mercury spun around. Her left hand shot to her hip, right by the extended pocket that stored her auxiliary pattern knife. But, the moment she saw who was standing at the door, all of her combat readiness evaporated. Only to be replaced by mild concern.

Nashwa had found the red room.

"Mizuno. You can call me Mizuno", responded Ami quickly. She tried to hide any discomfort written on her face. But, she knew that Nashwa had seen too much, or perhaps she'd seen just enough.

Nashwa was certainly seeing a lot. This was the first time she'd seen Ami out of Sailor form. So, this was the first time that she'd actually seen her face without interference from the Sailor Suits glamor mechanism.

She thought that Ami was good looking. Ami was beautiful, actually. And she was a specific kind of beautiful. She was beautiful like a Greek statue in a Terran museum. Her eyes were a very certain shade of blue. And her features were soft. Untouched by time. She'd stopped aging at 20 jut like all the Terrans from Crystal Tokyo.

"Lady Mizuno, when was the last time you ate?"

The Princess, and supreme commander, of Mercury paused. Her stomach responded before she could. It rumbled seismically. That made Ami blush. Nashwa could make out some red in the leaders pallid cheeks.

"It's been a while."

"How long?", asked Nashwa with some trepidation.

"A week, or maybe a month. I can't really remember. I'll eat something in bit"

"You'll eat something right now", cut in Nashwa. And as soon as those words came out of her mouth she started to regret them. The woman standing before her had built the economy, military, and health care system of an entire world. And right now, Nashua Malivnosky, a second rate agent from Pakistan was chastising this legend.

Truth be told though, it felt so cathartic to talk to her boss like this. She wanted to push her luck. She wanted this living legend to eat, and sleep, and be okay. Maybe that would untie the knot of fear, and concern, and other stuff festering in her gut.

"I'm fine", responded Ami.

"You're not", pressed Nashwa, "And you need to get out of here. You need to do something that's not work or missions or eating yourself up like a coywolf stuck in a trap"

Mercury paused, and then nodded in concession to this assessment.

"You're right, I'll head down to the lower levels and synthesize-"

"You should go into the city", rattled of the nervous lab assistant.

"The city?", asked Ami.

"Yes!", Nashwa half said half yelled. That knot in her chest was getting tighter. She didn't want to get fired over telling her boss they should take a lunch break. She did want to see the Woman who rescued her actually rest for 5 seconds, and maybe have a little fun. "The city", she continued, "is bustling, its alive, and diverse, and I think that going there will clear your head"

"Clear my head", Mecury whispered back.

In the red room, surrounded by things that were designed for war, Mercury fixed her gaze on Nashwa. There was a glimmer in the scientist's eyes. A hint of something that Nashwa had seen in the Scavenger Predators of her hometown. Hunger, in the Scientists eye's she read hunger.

"Well," Nashwa forced out of her tightened vocal cords.

"We should go then", finished Ami.

Nashwa blinked, hard.

"We?"

* * *

Lorek, Batarian Space

May 29th, 2227

"You're nervous"

"I've just got a sort of feeling about these things", replied Mr. Taylor.

"Relax", said Sha'ira. She tried to put a hand on Mr. Taylor. He flinched away. "Worrying won't make the shuttle land any faster"

"Its not the journey I'm worried about". Jacob flexed his right hand. A corona of blue light burst between his fingers, and lingered. "It's what'll happen when we get there"

Their Shuttle lurched, knocking both of them to the right. Mr. Taylor hit into a hard surface and Sha'ira hit into him. The Shuttle doors opened.

"This must be our stop", commented Sha'ira.

Jacob peered out at their "stop". It looked like a partially frozen tidal plane. Off in the distance there was a snow capped jagged rock. Atop that rock was an armored figure. The armored figure was waving at them.

Sha'ira leapt out of the shuttle. It was a 6-meter fall. Two meters above the Frozen sediment a blue aura encapsulated her. She landed gently.

Jacob followed suit. His body generated a field as he hit the Mudflat. This churned up some ice, sand, and a little snow. None of that fazed him. With three fluid steps he closed the distance between the Matriarch and himself.

"They just had to meet us on the cold side of the planet. Any colder and my light suit might stop working. Why'd they want to meet us out here?"

"Because", started Sha'ira, "they put the base somewhere even more inhospitable".

"You really know how to get a Mercs hopes up", groaned Mr. Taylor, "next you'll be telling me that I don't get paid"

"You will get paid, and you will live through this. Now lets get a move on. Before our Batarian friend gets worried"

* * *

Mercury, Sol System

July 18th, 3927

Powerful sturdy block like skyscrapers reached towards a sky few would ever see. Bustling packs of scared students raced down the wide streets. Soldiers in tan uniforms stood on balconies. And in every direction, defense turrets jutted out menacingly.

"I can't believe you designed all of this."

"Well, I only put in the infrastructure. There's more to a city then its buildings and anti air installations. The families who have lived here for generations are the ones who really built this city", replied Ami modestly.

" I think the buildings are pretty amazing. We didn't have anything like this back in Chitral"

"I hope you'll never need buildings like this on earth", murmured Ami, "Their foundations reach down to the crust of 20th century Mercury. "

"That deep?"

Ami, who was still a bit nervous about being outside of her Laboratory with only a black wig for a disguise, suddenly grabbed onto her assistants hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Yes", the scientist whispered.

Alas her stomach had no appreciation for shyness, or subtlety, and at that very moment it let out a noise that could've startled a Hydra.

Ami turned a bright shade of red and murmured something along the lines of " lets just get to a restaurant"

Nashwa steered them towards a restaurant that she vaguely recognized. She'd definitely seen it in Crystal Tokyo that one time she was there. Definitely.

* * *

Lorek, Batarian Space

May 29th, 2227

The heavily armored figure extended a hand to Sha'ira, "I'm glad that you arrived safely."

"So am I", replied the Asari with a grin. "My traveling companion didn't think we'd make it"

Jacob glared at his employer, but he kept his mouth shut.

Sha'ira was either oblivious to Jacobs behavior, or unwilling to acknowledge it. She accepted the Batarians out stretched hand. And without missing a beat she warmly declared, "I look forward to working with you. Thank you for letting me join your team. "

"I'm glad you're the one they sent", replied the fully armored figure in a neutral tone that betrayed nothing.

The wind picked up. Sending a flurry of snow around the group. Sha'ira ingnored it. All of her attention was focused on the Batarian. The Batarian Captain tightened her grip on Sha'Ira's hand. And Mr. Taylor turned his head to the side as his right hand inched towards a gun he carried on his hip. "You hear that?", he asked.

Moments before the gunfire started.

* * *

Mercury, Sol system

July 18th 3927

The restaurant was . . . busy.

Idle chatter filtered in and out. Ami picked up bits of conversations. A university student complained about her grades. Some academic mentioned Venesian currency manipulation.

"There's such a long line", commented Nashwa.

"Certainly"

Most of the people in the immediate area were ineligible for the draft, Ami noted. Academics, researchers, and a few clusters of individuals who lacked any sort of visible augmentations. There was such amazing diversity of expression here. Smiles, scowls, sleep deprived grins, and –

"We should probably get in line now. Before it gets any worse."

Those words, which came from Nashwa, snapped Ami out of her trance. Ami wearily glanced at the line. It was a very long line. She looked at Nashwa. The Terran Lab assistant looked anxious.

Ami took this information and ultimately concluded, "Yes, we probably should."

* * *

Lorek, Batarian Space

May 29th, 2227

Sha'Ira's wrist broke. The chest of the heavily armored "Batarian Captain" broke open. Revealing a hundred bloodstained teeth. The creature pulled her closer, adrenaline rushed through her, and she unleashed a singularity into the creature's wet slavering maw.

Her companion, Mr. Taylor, was struggling against a hail of bullets. His barrier was blinking. He screamed. "Cerberus. All over the damn place"

The creature, which still held Sha'Ira in its grip, raised its other hand. The armored gauntlet morphed into a long wicked blade. This things torso was twisting. Its amored shell broke inwards. Revealing the bright blue ball of energy that Sha'Ira had planted inside it. This ball pulled in what used to organs, what used to be bone, what used to be sinew, and veins, and so much more. A flew of implanted cybernetics and strange runes joined this ad hoc mixture. Soon, most of the creature was gone. However the beast's arm flexed as the rest of it vanished into oblivion. The blade came down heavy. Carried by inextricable force downwards in a deadly arc.

Mr. Taylor lost his kinetic barriers. A few shots tore into his thigh, and a burst of rapid-fire shots hit his shoulder. They chewed up his light armor. The force spun him around. And he saw Sha'Ira stuck in place. Her arm, broken at the wrist, held by a armored hand which was no longer linked to any body. A hands breath from her neck there was a thin blade.

When the blade finally reached Sha'ira it was the length of her pinky finger. And the monsters armored hand, which held her, had vanished into the singularity with the rest of the creature. The tiny little insignificant blade had lost much of it velocity. So the cut it made was only skin deep.

A mere inconvenience, compared to the monomolecular blade jutting from her gut.

"A phantom", she muttered softly.

The blade came out. Sha'ira fell. Her eyes became heavy. She took one last shuttering breath, and smiled.

"Find peace in the embrace of the goddess- you bastards"

Blue light burst from the Asari Matriach. Dozens of half formed mass effect fields burst lose from her. They violently mixed together. Trapping every single Cerburus trooper in an arcing matrix of uneven gravity fluctuations. To state it simply this ripped them all apart.

And the Smiling face of Sha'ira was the last thing a certain phantom would see. Before the gravitational chaos tore it asunder.

* * *

July 18th 3927

Ami chomped down on her burger. Her eyes fluttered shut as the flavor hit her. Nutrition paste couldn't hold a candle to this stuff. It was so good!

Nashwa was sitting next to Ami. Her hands were a blur. The massive pile of fries and chicken nuggets that she had arrayed before her was vanishing with alarming speed. She ate like a woman possessed.

There was a third person at the table, a tall handsome brunette. They overheard the two attractive young ladies conversing. And quickly surmised that they must be visitors from one of the other planets. So the tall handsome well-muscled professor figured, 'hey maybe I should pay for their meal', only to discover that these two young ladies had the appetites of a planetary super predator.

"So, is this um . . . you're first time visiting mercury."

Ami looked up from her seventh burger, and replied, "Actually my partner and I spend a lot of time here. For work and other things"

"Oh you're- um together"

"Of course we're together", replied Ami with a shrug, "Kind of have to be"

The Brunette was some what taken aback. 'Have to be?', they wondered. 'An arranged marriage?', they conjectured.

"How did you two meet each other?"

"Well", Ami said, "I needed some help around the lab. So I put up an ad. And she sort of found it"

"My Parents found it", Nashwa cut in, "I knew they needed the money. My whole family was barely getting buy. So I went for it"

"And that worked out for both of you?"

"Yes", replied Nashwa while her left hand snaked its way over to Ami's plate.

"She's the best lab assistant I've ever had", Boasted Ami as two or three burgers mysteriously disappeared from the pile in front of her.

Nashwa blushed. She was caught off guard by this praise and didn't know what to say. So she buried her face into another burger. She was lucky to have such an amazing boss. In her mind, she was the luckiest undercover agent on Mercury.

* * *

May 30th, 2227

Lorek, Batarian Space

Mr. Taylor opened his eyes, and he saw darkness. He tried to move his limbs and discovered that he was buried. At the moment he wasn't quite sure whether he was up, down or side ways. So he spit. The saliva went up and came back down. Must be laying on his back then.

Sound. He could hear something. Snow was being compacted. Could that be footsteps?

Silence. The noise stopped, and then a new sound erupted. Something was digging him out.

Light, bright white and blinding, he still couldn't see a thing. His eyes adjusted. Now he could see the barrel of a gun, a big gun. He still couldn't move. Most of his body was still buried under a great deal of snow.

A question, "Are you the Merc that Sha'ira hired?" , coming in as a harsh deep whisper. The voice sounded feminine. It carried a quiet implication. Tell me the truth or I will kill you.

"Yes, I am" croaked Mr. Taylor.

The speaker pulled back their gun. Jacob caught a glimpse of them. They were armor. Didn't look like Cerberus. Had a lot of blades strapped to them.

They moved out of his limited window of vision. He lost sight of them. He heard more noise; he heard the sound of armored hands scraping against the snow. They were digging him out.

His legs came free. Snow was scraped off his torso, then his arms, and finally his head. He could move. But he was tired. Everything was sore. He was thirsty. There was red splashed along the back of his thigh.

Jacob flexed his left hand. A corona of blue light flickered, weakly.

This burst of biotic energy caught his rescuer unawares. She aimed her gun, an M76 revenant, at Jacob's head. She held it there for half a second. Only to lower it when she finally realized how torn up the human merc in front of her was.

Suddenly there was a howl. It was an horrible inhuman howl coming from some where off in the distance. Jacobs rescuer turned her head towards the noise. She gripped her weapon tightly. She took a step away from Jacob, stopped, and then took a step back towards him. Quickly, she crouched down to offer Mr. Taylor a hand. He accepted it. She pulled him up.

There was another howl. The thing had become louder, or perhaps it was just closer.

* * *

Mercury, Sol system

July 19th 3927

Back at the Laboratory, surrounded by all of her failed experiments, Ami cracked a smile. For she now understood something that had in the past evaded her.

Her fellow sailors did not trust her. She found this out by checking several of the gifts mars had given her. She found Cameras. And, after an even more thorough search she founds something else. A notebook.

It was Nashwa's. The excitable lab assistant had left it in a pile of clutter. Ami flittered through it and learnt a great deal.

Ami put down the notebook. She tried to ignore the Camera's. Pushed aside the revelation that her lab assistant was a crystal Tokyo plant.

Her fellow sailors did not trust her.

How could they? After everything she'd done. Shattering a Sailor Crystal. How could they forgive her for that?

The smile vanished. Ami steadied herself against a table. She bit her lower lip. Recited the Newtons three laws of motion inside her head.

Her tongue tasted blood. She gasped. Gritted her teeth. Her spare hand dug into her own wrist. She focused on the pain. Let the adrenaline take her away. Pull her away from the memories.

"It was pretty stupid of me", muttered Ami, "Trading the soul of an entire world for a few thousand mortal soldiers."

She stared at the ruby red droplets welling up from her wrist. Her smile came back.

"Maybe I'm not that smart after all . . ."

* * *

May 30th, 2227

Lorek, Batarian Space

It was upon them. A heaving mass of flesh melded with armor. Batarian and Human bodies formed its bulk. However the creatures maw was unrecognizable. A hundred blood stained teath. Each one was a different shape. All of them were sharp.

"Move. I'll hold it off", yelled Mr. Taylor. His plea fell on deaf ears. His rescuer did not retreat. They stood by his side and unleashed a flurry of machine gun fire.

Tungsten carbide rounds sped their way to the target. The punishing fire removed the creature's right leg. The Beast faltered. Heavy fire tore into its other limbs. Until- its attacker had to reload.

The revenant is a powerful weapon. But it takes time to reload it. And time was on the beast's side. Sinewy tentacles burst forth from its severed limbs. They latched onto the severed parts and pulled them back into place. Every fleshy bit slid, slithered, and writhed to accomplish its gruesome work.

Right when the Revenant was reloaded, right when the beast lunged forwards, right when the howling started up again- Mr. Taylor rose to their feat. They hit the beast with a lift grenade. Reached for the Avenger assault rifle folded at their side. Mr. Taylor added his own firepower to the din. He fired round after round at the temporarily air born monstrosity. He didn't let up until the beast hit the snow, and he had to reload.

Tentacles burst from the monsters back. They raced towards Mr. Taylor. Who activated a biotic barrier and then detonated it.

The Beast was, once more, air borne. Mr. Taylors rescuer emptied a fresh heat clip of revenant ammo into the monstrosity. Jacob used incendiary ammo on it. Fire seared its flesh, and stopped it from regenerating.

They both reloaded and kept shooting until the thing was reduced to malformed bits of charged flesh. And then Jacob took a few pot shots at those pieces. Just to be sure.

"Guess I won't be getting paid," muttered Jacob as he ejected an empty thermal clip from his assault rifle. It hit the snow with a sharp hiss. " Should've taken that job on Omega".


	4. Release

**AN:** This is the last chapter. I'm releasing it a bit early. And I'll release the Sequel to Cold open next month. Thanks for reading this story.

* * *

Mercury, Sol system

July 26th 3927

Ami Mizuno, the scientist.

Her body was splayed across the floor. Her mind was spinning. A week ago she went out for a bite to eat with her lab assistant. Tonight she was fighting off exhaustion. Trying to pick her self off the floor. And she was failing at that.

"Mizuno?"

Ami looked up. Her Lab assistant, Nashwa, was standing over her. With a great deal of effort Ami suppressed any display of surprise or shock. She kept her face straight. Alas her body was not quite so obedient. Her shoulders, thick with muscle from years of swimming, scrunched up. And the hand she'd used to steady herself was shaking. Her toes pointed inwards a bit.

"I dropped something. So I went down to get it", ami declared!

Nashwa tilted her head to the side quizzically, "Did you find it?"

Mizuno put extra effort into maintaining her stone-faced expression.

"Find what?"

"The thing you dropped"

"I'll get it in a bit", Ami replied.

Nashwa raised an eyebrow.

"Did you actually drop something, or did you fall to the floor again?"

Ami opened her mouth to say something. However, she reconsidered this course of action and closed her mouth like a steel trap.

This wasn't easy. There were things that Ami wanted to say, and ask. But she knew that if she spoke then a word or a pause or an unintended ambiguity could betray her. She knew that Nashwa was a plant. She had a vague idea of why Crystal Tokyo might be spying on her.

Trying to decide what to do was so difficult. No clear way through this forest of doubt. Ami could only do everything, and nothing. She had to do everything she normally did. And she couldn't do a single thing to escape from this pressure without incurring penalties, losing something.

Deep down Ami knew she was playing a blind mans game. The deck was stacked against her, and she didn't even know the stakes.

Funny thing is Ami had played this game before. Oh she'd played it so many times. A game where there is no winning. Of course, in the past Crystal Tokyo had always been by her side.

What did she have left? Who did she have left?

"You really need to take care of yourself", said Nashwa

'I can't trust any one', thought Ami.

Truth can be cold. But betrayal, oh that's colder still

* * *

The New Citdael, Krogan Space

June 7th, 2227

"He's dead", murmered the C- Sec Officer.

Saracino was slumped over his desk. There wasn't a whole lot left of the man below his waist. Maybe few mangled bits of flesh here or there. Whoever, or what ever, did this made one hell of a mess. Bits of the Human councilor were everywhere.

And something cold hit the Officers face. What ever hit them was thicker then water. They put a hand to their face and, it was red. The Officer looked up. There was a gnawed on leg glued to the celling by some form of thick phlegm like netting.

"What the hell?"

The limb dropped. It hit the desk in front of Saracino's upper body. Congealed blood mixed with grey fluid oozed everywhere.

"Spirits-", the C-sec officer pulled out their Omni tool and immediately rattled off, "this is officer Raelon. Reporting from the Human Councilors office. We have a situation here"

The C-Sec officer did not receive a response. Just static.

Now, there is a saying in Citadel space. You will see a Turians back turned when he's dead.

Well, the Cerberus-Daemon hybrid did not have eyes in the strictest sense of the word. The crude hybridization process robbed it of that. But it was behind the officer. And soon it would posses the mortal faculty of sight.

First, a set of long pincers erupted from the creature's camouflaged form. These pierced the officer's neck. Potent neurological agents robbed Raelon of their self-control. Now that its prey was neutralized, its pincers pulled the C-Sec officer back words.

The Brain was the first thing to go. And in this regard the C-sec officer was lucky. For the Daemon Hybrid needed the officer's body mostly intact. So it could not play with its food.

White-hot pain accompanied the rapid dissolution of cerebral matter. After Lobotomy was complete several tendrils burrowed their way into the back of the Officers head. Dark energy raced down the fleshy members. The Daemon hybrids old body collapsed. And "Officer Raelon", now stood tall in the room.

The officer wrenched a few tentacles form the back of their neck. They raised an Omni tool to their mouth. By cross checking what it sensed with the information stored in the late officers mind it sputtered, " This is officer Raelon. Reporting from the Human Councilors office. Requesting back up and medical attention".

Raelon cut off the line of communication. It drew its side arm. Fired several shots into its old body. Waited for more C-Sec officers to arrive. One Counselor was eliminated. Five would be assimilated. It would drive the last one mad.

This galaxy will fall to Cerberus. This dimension shall know Chaos.

* * *

Mariner Castle, Sol system

July 27th 3927

Gate was locked. Traps were activated. Teleporter was-

"Mercury?"

Still operational, how could she have ignored something so simple. Now Nashwa was here. A crystal Tokyo agent was here. This was a problem.

"You know" Mercury shouted, " I think I did drop something after all."

If she was wearing a stealth suit then she could just slip by Nashwa. But, she wasn't. And if she teleported out of here then sooner or later some one would track her down, so there weren't that many good options left. She was trapped.

"Mercury, you need help"

"Do you know what I dropped?"

Click, the sound of some one cocking an ancient pistol. "What did you drop Mercury?"

Mecrury took a deep breath. Her heart was pounding. Her Lab assistant had a gun. Why'd it have to end like this?

Mercury spun around the corner. Bang. Something hit her. Mercury ignored it. She raised an arm and cried "Shabon Spray Freezing"

Her body carried through. In less than a second she'd done the necessary movements. Freezing mist raced towards Nashwa. And, like Magic, she was frozen in place.

Mercury looked down. A .45 caliber slug had hit her chest. In this form a weapon of that caliber couldn't even pierce her skin.

"I dropped my guard", Mercury whispered to her self, "and you know what's really funny?"

Mercury grimaced. She took another breath, and then she finally admitted "When I let my guard down I felt free, for a few fleeting moments I was finally free. You were a good friend Nashwa. And spending time with you made me wish I could be any one else. But it just had to end like this. I can't change. A machine is all I'll ever be"

Mercury walked over to a terminal. She activated a portal. Then She walked over to her dear Lab assistant. And gave her a little push, "Good bye Nashwa"

One crystal agent slid towards Mercury's Teleportation pad. She landed right in the middle of it. Mercury flipped a big switch. Zap, Nashwa was gone.

And Mercury was alone.


End file.
